In 2022, the team posted a 2-13 record. In 2023, it improved to 3-11. Last year, the team played to a 5-8-1 record. And with most of its core returning, this year should feature a massive jump forward.

“I think for the first time in years, we have a real solid group,” Walsh-Edwards said. “They all work super hard and want to get better. And they’re all great friends. We’re still a little young, but the effort and intensity is there, and I expect a lot out of us this year.”

Riverhead returns seven starters from last year, mostly up front in attack. Abigail Maaiki, Kyleigh Lennon and Gabriella Rossetti return in the midfield. Julianna Kramer and Emma Kennedy remain in their forward positions. Carly Golz returns to run the back line, and Casey Hubbard is still the brick wall in front of net. 

Part of success in high school sports is continuity and chemistry within the team. Those two things were on full display in the season-opening 2-0 win over Lindenhurst on Wednesday, Sept. 3. 

“The last two years, we came into the field hockey season not really expecting much,” Lennon said. “We weren’t expecting to do well, but last year was an eye opener for us. Getting five wins and being in almost every game we played, we built a lot of confidence coming into this season.”

Rossetti, who has shifted to more of a forward this season, occupies the middle of the field — front and center to all the action. The sophomore got the scoring started at Lindenhurst Middle School, flipping the ball high and in the upper corner of the net with eight minutes left in the first half.

“I saw a chance to do one of my favorite shots and took it,” Rossetti said. “I knew it had a good chance of going in once I hit it.”

After scoring two goals last season, Rossetti is expected to be a main contributor up front this go around.

“We’re still trying to get her comfortable playing up front after playing the midfield all of last season,” Walsh-Edwards said. “She definitely has that ability to score, so we decided to make the change this year along with the formation we play in as well.”

The new formation Walsh-Edwards went with this season stretches out the field for the Blue Waves. It allows the wing players — Kennedy and Kramer — to move the ball forward with space but it also allows the midfield to trek back and defend if need be.

“Last year, a ball would get through our midfield, and it would likely become a goal on the other end,” Walsh-Edwards said. “Now, we don’t have our midfielders so far forward and can slide back if need be.”

Lennon and Maaiki both control possession on both sides of the field. It’s a lot more running back and forth but as seniors they’re ready for the challenge.

“We want to leave a mark behind for this program,” Maaiki said. “We are ready to do anything we can to help us win. This is our senior year – no better time than now to start turning things back in the right direction.”

Lennon scored on a pileup in front of the net later in the second quarter to make it 2-0, and Lindenhurst never threatened to score the rest of the game. Securing their first win in their first game is a welcome sight to any team trying to make the playoffs.

“It’s a huge weight off of our shoulders,” Walsh-Edwards said. “Now, we have to keep the momentum and continue to believe. Even though we were ranked 13th in the preseason, if we win the games we’re supposed to and steal some that we aren’t, playoffs are absolutely within reach.”

Riverhead varsity field hockey season schedule

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Last year, Riverhead went 0-10 in their summer league season in the lead-up to the school year. It was the harsh beginning to creating a winning environment. After last year’s run during the winter, there’s just a different feel this summer. There’s a sneaky confidence among those returning. They defeated Bayport Blue Point, 55-53 to kick off the summer at Centereach High School.

Photos by Bill Landon

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Riverhead’s Josiah Rodney takes flight in summer league action Tuesday night. (Credit Bill Landon)

“Right now we’re trying to figure out who fits with who with the younger guys coming up,” Fabian said. “We’re making sure everyone is buying into playing hard and continuing the culture we set last year. I thought we may have been lazy a bit at times today but that comes with the territory in these hot summer gyms.”

Peter Lagnena, who is now entering his senior year, led the Blue Waves in scoring as his stroke from deep looked in mid-season form. He nailed seven triples on the night. Every time Bayport-Blue Point started making a run, Lagnena had an answer. 

“I need to step up this year because Liam [Lennon] is not here anymore as our senior leader,” Lagnena said. “He was the captain last year and kept us all together and pushed us to be the best we can be. I need to take over that role now as a senior, and it starts in the summer.”

Anaiis Mitchell is also back as Riverhead’s point guard. He’s heading into his junior year after being on varsity since his freshman season. He assisted on six of Lagnena’s seven three-point baskets on Tuesday and finished with eight assists overall.

“Anaiis is the type of player that doesn’t have to be scoring all the team’s points,” Fabian said. “He affects the game in so many ways. He’s our field general out there. He gets his points, but he also gets rebounds, steals, assists — he’s a major part of any success we want to have.”

Riverhead returns Landon Zaleski, Jack Bartolo and Sentrell Hires as well who played big minutes during the school season last year. Zaleski scored eight points in the summer opener, Bartolo added five and Hires finished with four.

“We’re still building that chemistry,” Fabian said. “Last year was our first year together, so the more time we spend playing together, the better we’re going to be. We want to iron out all the kinks now and not have to deal with it during the regular season.”

Josiah Rodney also returns to Riverhead after spending last year playing for Southampton. He figures to plug right into the rotation and showed flashes of what he could do scoring 10 points against Bayport-Blue Point. He showed ability to score from the inside and outside and will be a crucial piece of the Blue Waves going forward.

Riverhead is back in action next Tuesday, July 8, at 7 p.m. against Newfield at Eastport South Manor High School.

“We want to win our league during the school season,” Lagnena said. “That’s one of our goals. We’re putting in the work now to not only win the league but win the whole thing. I think we can do it with this team. We’re returning most of our guys, and we’re all locked in on one goal.”

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“Long distance running takes discipline,” Riverhead cross country coach Tyler Lobenhofer said following a meet early in the school year. “It’s a constant grind of challenging yourself. You can never get comfortable with what your best currently is.”

Jones constantly pushed his limit throughout his career, especially during his senior season, as he came away with five school records ranging across every season. 

In the fall, he set the school record in the Indian Island 5K with a time of 16:33.84 and it wasn’t close. He shattered the previous record by 20 seconds and two minutes ahead of the second place runner. 

“Chris was the best runner on the team since he was a sophomore,” Lobenhofer said. “But he wasn’t ever content with just being the best on the team. He wanted to be one of the best in Suffolk County and I think he can walk away and proudly call himself one of the best.”

But his reign in the fall wasn’t over – Jones broke the Sunken Meadow 4k record soon after with a time of 12:48.81. 

“I made a vow to myself junior year that I would run every day,” Jones told the Riverhead News Review after a meet in the fall. “And I’ve done that. Honestly I think I’ve only missed five days since I made that commitment to myself.”

Hard work pays off.

In the winter season, Jones set a school record being part of the 4 x 800m relay. Being part of a quartet with Victor Giron, Brandon Nieto and Franz Ortiz Galdamez, the group executed every baton handoff flawlessly and came away with a time of 8:33.62. That time got even better when the group got on the track outside in the spring. Jones led the team to a spring 4 x 800m relay record posting a time of 8:24.61.

Jones put his final mark on his time as a Blue Wave in the 3200-meter race at the Westhampton Invitational. Despite facing less than ideal running conditions, the senior secured his final school record with a time of 9:52.66.

Those records figure to be part of Riverhead’s history for years to come – setting the mark for the next group of long distance runners to beat. Jones will continue his athletic career at SUNY Cortland in the fall.

And now for the Shoreham-Wading River Wildcat Athletes of the Year

Morgan Lesiewicz, Shoreham-Wading River

It’s rare to see athletes competing in three different sports over the school year these days with many athletes choosing to focus only on their best sport. But Morgan Lesiewicz took it a step further and competed in four – including two in both the winter and spring seasons.

Lesiewicz was a mainstay in between the posts in soccer as she was the starting goalkeeper for the varsity squad since her eighth grade year. In the winter, she played basketball but also competed on the winter track team. In the spring, she manned the middle of the field in lacrosse for what is arguably her best sport but also competed on the spring track team.

As the goalkeeper for the Wildcats, Lesiewicz led the team to three consecutive Suffolk County titles and two Long Island championships in a row to close out her soccer career. Her senior season ended in the Class A New York State semifinals. She registered 109 saves in her final year as a Wildcat – many of which were crucial for victory.

“To play for this team for five years not only built me up as a soccer player and an athlete but as a person,” Lesiewicz said following the loss in the semifinals. “I couldn’t have asked for a better team, better coaching staff, better career – I’ll always remember this.”

In the winter, Lesiewicz joined the basketball team and helped them win the league title while also participating in indoor track.

Springtime meant lacrosse – Lesiewicz’s best sport. She owned the draw circle for the Wildcats while also scoring 11 goals and registering five assists.

“Morgan is a dedicated and hardworking athlete who consistently pushed herself to grow and improve throughout her time with our program,” SWR girls lacrosse coach Alex Fehmel said. “She brought a competitive edge to the field and always gave full effort which helped raise the level of intensity and practices and games.”

Lesiewicz also set a personal record in the spring for track. In the New York State outdoor track qualifier, she threw the shot put a distance of 36 feet and 10.75 inches – putting her fourth on Long Island. 

The senior four-sport star will continue her athletic career as a lacrosse player for Division I Lehigh University.

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After coming so close in the past two seasons, Riverhead left no doubt who the best team in Suffolk County is by parading through the Suffolk County Class AAA playoff double-elimination bracket without a loss. 

Both pitchers — Riverhead’s Mya Marelli and Sachem North’s Danielle Brennan — put up nothing but zeros on the scoreboard for the first four innings. But it was the senior lefty from Riverhead who shut the door and stopped all momentum when things got dicey.

After two bloop hits in the top of the second inning that put runners on second and third base with no outs, Marelli was tasked with keeping Sachem North off the board. A simple ball in play could have scored a run. Marelli wanted no part in giving up anything in that situation. She struck out the next three batters in order to end the threat.

The third inning saw more of the same after two walks. Sachem North laid down a sacrifice bunt to make it to second and third with one out on the board. The Flaming Arrow’s toughest hitters, batting third and fourth in the lineup, came to the plate with a chance to do damage. But again were stopped in their tracks, striking out to end the inning. 

“I wanted to set the tone,” Marelli said. “Runners on base don’t mean much to me. All I have to do is keep them from scoring. I dug in deep, and I was glad I kept them off the board.”

Marelli pitched a complete game three-hitter, allowing no earned runs while striking out 15.  

“There’s nobody better in tough situations,” Riverhead head coach Rich Vlacci Jr. said. “This is the Mya Marelli we’ve been waiting for. In the past two games, we’ve seen the best version of her, even from before the arm injury. Scary to say, but she’s better.”

Riverhead (19-3) finally broke through in the fifth inning to end the impasse. All they needed was a spark, and they got it when Amber Farruggia started off the inning with a double off the wall from the No. 9 spot in the batting order.

“It’s funny, because for some reason the fifth inning has been our inning all year long,” Vlacci said. “It’s like at that point in the game, we have it figured out, and we come alive and get comfortable.”

Farruggia was pinch-run for by Eden Greenwood who came around to score the first run of the game after a single up the middle by Madison Saladino. Jordyn Kwasna followed that with a double off the wall to plate another. 

“I don’t know what it was but I think we were just tense up there before that inning,” Kwasna said. “Before we all walked up to the plate in the fifth we all took a big breath and tried to relax. I think it really made the difference.”

After taking the 2-0 lead, Marelli came up and battled at the plate, fouling off several pitches. Facing an 0-2 count, she socked a 2-run homerun to dead center that cleared the fence by 50 feet.

“Coach Vail pointed out something I was doing at the plate with my stride,” Marelli said. “Once I corrected that, I was able to get back on the ball. I just wanted to keep the inning going.”

The top of the sixth inning could have changed the outcome of the game. With two runners on and two outs for Sachem North, Shannon Forgione gave the ball a ride that seemed to be sailing over Kwasna’s head.

“I was tracking it well at first, but it just kept going and going,” Kwasna said. “At the last second, I knew it was going to be over my head, so I jumped up and threw my glove up.”

It landed right in the webbing to end the inning.

“It’s defensive plays like that that shape a championship team,” Vlacci said. “If that ball drops, it’s 4-2 and who knows how the game turns out afterward.”

All Sachem North could muster was a run in the seventh inning after a pair of errors. The game fittingly ended on a Marelli strikeout that sent a well-traveled Riverhead crowd in a frenzy. The Riverhead Fire Department escorted the team home on the Long Island Expressway to the Victory Bell in front of Pulaski Street Elementary school, where they continued a tradition started by the football team and rang the bell.

“This is something each of us have always dreamed of,” Kwasna said. “We always looked up to the older varsity girls when we were in little league. And now that we’re here, and we’ve made history by being the first to win a championship, I hope we inspire the younger girls watching us. Winning the county means the world, but we’re not done just yet.”

Riverhead will now play for the Long Island title. They will match up against Nassau County’s representative, Massapequa, on Friday, June 6, at SUNY Farmingdale for a 4:30 p.m. game start. 

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Zambriski’s gem also marked the first no-hitter by a Blue Waves hurler since 2013, when Matt Crohan threw two back-to-back no-nos to open his senior year. 

But this was different. This was literal perfection. Zambriski didn’t issue any walks, struck out 16 of 21 batters and threw just 75 pitches in seven innings — 65 for strikes.

“Every time he steps on the mound we know we might witness something special,” Kerman said. “He’s got that type of stuff. He’s got the body and the build and he finally has the mindset to be able to dominate. And he’s done it all year long for us.”

The 6-foot-4 righty has thrown 25.1 innings this season with 49 strikeouts and a 1.65 ERA. He no-hit Longwood through the first five innings earlier this season. His fastball clocks in around 86 to 87 miles per hour and often leaves hitters helpless.

“I know I can give myself a chance every day to do something cool on the baseball field,” Zambriski said. “I have confidence in myself and I have confidence in my stuff. Warming up in the bullpen today I felt really good. I felt like I had everything working.”

When he took the mound, you could tell Zambriski meant business, retiring the side in order and striking out all six batters in the first two innings. The zip on his pitches was simply next level and every Central Islip hitter coming up against him had trouble catching up to the ball.

“Getting those strikeouts only made me more confident as the game went on,” Zambriski said. “I was focusing on hitting the glove. I knew my teammates had my back even if I didn’t get the strikeout.”

In the sixth inning, a Central Islip batter hit a grounder up the middle that looked like it might sneak through for a single, but shortstop Cam Wallace came out of nowhere, slid in front of the ball and made a confident throw across the diamond for the out. 

Central Islip then had the top of the order coming to the plate in the top of the seventh. If the perfecto was meant to be broken it would be right then and there. But Zambriski struck out the first batter, retired the second on a fly ball and handled the final out himself, corralling an infield pop up on the pitcher’s mound before being mobbed by his teammates. 

“All I was thinking in the final at bat was, ‘Don’t hit him, don’t hit him,’ because I wanted to keep the perfect game alive,” Zambriski said. “When I saw that short popup hit to me I had so much relief rush through my body. This is easily the best moment in my career so far.”

The win over Central Islip marks seven in a row for the Blue Waves. It’s been a massive turnaround for a team that managed to win only five games the last two years. In Kerman’s third season as head coach, Riverhead is four wins away from clinching a playoff spot with eight games to play. 

“There had to be a culture change here,” Kerman said. “We had to change how we went about things here and how we carried ourselves on and off the field. We started doing winter workouts, we enrolled in a fall league, we play at Lasorda Legacy Park during our off months, and we don’t take days off. If it’s raining we find a turf field. We’re committing to turning this thing around and I feel like finally we’re starting to see those results of all the hard work we put in the last two years. Truth is, we’re only getting started.”

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Liam Kershis did it all for Shoreham-Wading River during his years as a Wildcat. He consistently scored 30-plus goals every season dating back to his freshman year. In his junior season, he scored 59 goals and notched 38 assists while guiding the Wildcats to a Suffolk County title.

Kershis finished his senior year ranked fifth in all of Suffolk County, with 86 total points scored, before later being named an All-American. After starring in the Senior All-America game, he was named MVP for his final high school career hurrah. The scoring star was fiercely recruited out of high school and decided on Duke University to continue his academic and athletic careers. 

Playing with the best in the country for the perennial powerhouse Duke, Kershis has found his way into the lineup not only as a substitute but, more often than not, as a starter. 

“I’m settling in pretty well,” Kershis said in a text this week. “I’m getting good playing time. Love the guys and the coaches I’m surrounded by.”

Duke has sprinted out to a 7-1 overall record and Kershis has played in all eight games, starting in five of them. He’s scored seven goals and assisted on three others. The seven goals are good for sixth on the team as he continues to adjust to the ramped up speed of college play. His highest scoring effort was a two-goal game — which happened to be against his brother Alex’s team, Jacksonville University.

 “There hasn’t been that much of a difference,” Kershis said, comparing college play to his high school years. “I mean, everyone is more talented for sure, but that makes the offense easier as well.”

Fellow local standout Griffin Sumwalt played a major part in Riverhead’s lacrosse resurgence. As a senior last year, he led the Blue Waves to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. They posted their best record in school history (14-4) and even won their opening round playoff game against Commack. 

Sumwalt set school records in his senior year, including 83 points in a single season, 54 goals in a single season and 192 points in a career. His legacy as a Blue Wave will be written in bold letters throughout the record books for years to come. After the season, he was tabbed a USA Lacrosse Academic All-American. 

The senior attacker decided on the University of Massachusetts at Lowell to continue his athletic and academic career. He fits right into his new surroundings and has started five of the six games this season en route to a 3-3 record. The lefty sharpshooter has registered four goals and two assists to start the season.

“The college lax experience has been great so far,” Sumwalt said. “I feel like I’m settling in well. The competition is definitely high. I’d say the speed is faster compared to high school, but I feel right at home.”

Getting playing time as a freshman is out of the ordinary, but Kershis and Sumwalt are threatening to break that mold and become instant contributors to the D1 programs — further proof that East End lacrosse is a growing hub for the best talent in the nation.

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Bay Shore was 19-1 this year — the defending Long Island champions. They made it all the way to the state finals, while the Blue Waves had just three wins all of last year. 

Riverhead fought. They were without their leading scorer in Deshawn Watkins but that didn’t matter. The Blue Waves showed heart and given the urgency of their opponent’s timeouts, they definitely worried the Bay Shore coaches during the game.

With two minutes remaining in the third quarter, junior guard Peter Lagnena hit two consecutive threes — one from so far behind the three-point line it could have come from another planet — and it electrified the Riverhead crowd at Bay Shore High School. It cut the lead to six, and after a Landon Zaleski free throw, the lead was only five. 

“I really felt that was a game changer for us,” Riverhead head coach Pat Fabian said. “I think it really sparked a belief in our guys that we can hang with a team like this.”

Sophomore point guard Anaiis Mitchell was running on fumes trying to keep pace with the Bay Shore offense, a classic run-and-gun type team. He registered 13 assists in the game and never came off the court. Depth was an issue for the Blue Waves all season And without Watkins, that made things even tougher.

Fabian used just a six-man rotation against Bay Shore, and everyone on the court was simply exhausted and slowing down. That fatigue really set in during the fourth quarter. Zaleski would hit a triple to close the deficit to six points again, but that’s as close as Riverhead got.

“The guys really left it all out there,” Fabian said. “They gave it everything they had. I’ve never been more proud of a group. I’ve coached for 10 years, and today was my proudest moment.”

Bay Shore got into their typical fast break offense after coming away with turnovers by pressing and trapping the Blue Waves. Riverhead just didn’t have the experience nor the energy to stop the bleeding. At one point in the game, there were three sophomores and two juniors on the court at the same time. Bay Shore posted an 18-5 fourth quarter to run away and advance to the semifinals.

Lagnena and Zaleski both scored 16 points for the Blue Waves. Liam Lennon, the lone senior in the starting lineup, scored nine and Mitchell added eight.

Nobody pegged Riverhead (8-4 League I, 12-10 overall) as a playoff team this year. Three players who were expected to be part of the varsity team this year left the area. There was also a first time head coach in Fabian, who was the assistant last year. But the Blue Waves exceeded those early expectations and even took it a step further by winning the first round game against No. 10 Commack.

There were a lot of unknowns going into this season. This year was supposed to be a rebuilding year by all intents and purposes. But the players in the gym felt otherwise. 

“We knew we were going to need to bring up younger guys from JV,” Fabian said. “They were going to be a part of the team anyway but not to this extent and to have roles this large. Our young guys had to grow up fast this season and this year’s experience only helps us going into next year.”

Nobody on this roster had ever tasted the varsity playoffs before. This was all new for everyone. But it’s really encouraging to return most of the squad next year. Zaleski, Mitchell and Jack Bartolo are all sophomores. Lagnena and Sentrell Hires are juniors. Yes, they lose Lennon and Watkins — a major part of the success this season — but the majority returns next year.

“Before the season I said that our success wouldn’t be dictated by wins and losses,” Fabian said. “But after this year’s run, we need to reshape our expectations. We know we belong with the best in Suffolk County. And we’re going to work like hell this offseason to make sure our expectations get met.”

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Riverhead High School athletic director Brian Sacks is doing whatever it takes to right the ship and return the Blue Waves to a level of competitiveness they’ve been striving to achieve since the school board decided to cut sports after two failed budget votes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With uncertainty in the air and no sports to play, many of the school’s best, most experienced athletes transferred out of the district and Sacks has been picking up the pieces ever since. 

Many of the varsity teams wound up fielding underclassmen — and some programs barely had enough participation to field a team at all. It was the lowest of the low for Riverhead sports, but things have started to look up lately and it’s because the right people have stepped up to the plate.

“No matter what anyone wants to say, when it comes down to it, winning is important,” Sacks said. “I think because of the losing we were doing, the past couple years maybe deterred kids from playing sports, I’m not totally sure. But our participation numbers were so bad and they’re finally picking back up again all across the board.”

The boys lacrosse team had their best-ever season last year and won a playoff game. The softball team made school history, going a perfect 18-0 in league play before losing in the Suffolk County semifinals. The boys basketball team just made the playoffs for the first time since 2019. It’s a testament of those who stuck around and believed.

A rebuild always starts from the ground up. 

“When you build a high school program it is truly predicated on [area] youth programs and how their numbers are and how their coaching is and how they’re influencing students at those levels,” Sacks said. “It starts there before they even think about participating in a school sport.”

The Police Athletic League, which offers football, lacrosse, cheerleading and soccer, introduces kids to sports as young as age 5. Football found success at the PAL level this season with both the 10-and-under and 11-and-under teams winning championships thanks to strong leadership. Riverhead Little League is a pillar in the community and churns out district champions every year. There are also travel baseball programs like the Riverhead Waves that put local kids in elite competition. Boys varsity basketball head coach Patrick Fabian brought youth basketball back to Riverhead by getting membership in the Hampton’s Youth Athletic League and currently coaches third- through sixth-grade girls and boys in his off-time. 

“Anyone that wants to get involved in our youth programs I have been all ears,” Sacks said. “I’ve offered our facilities, whatever people need, I will do my best to help with what I have to offer.”

A big change in the middle school ranks is to use coaches with varsity-level experience to better prepare players for the next level. Leif Shay along with Scott Hackal, former high school coaches who led Riverhead to multiple Suffolk County championships, coach the middle school football team now. John Rossetti, who coached Riverhead’s boys basketball team to a league title when he was in charge, has returned to coach the middle school cagers. Cherese Foster, who was most recently the varsity girls basketball coach, has also chosen to move down and coach middle school.

“I can’t have girls coming up to varsity not knowing how to make a layup,” Foster said a few months ago. “We have to do everything we can to get to these athletes as early as possible. We shouldn’t still be teaching the basics at the varsity level.”

To spread awareness and try to increase interest and participation, Erica Murphy and Quinn Alexander recently formed a new booster program called the Riverhead Athletic Club — a 501-C not-for-profit organization.

“Personally I’ve always been an avid sports fan,” Alexander said in a phone interview. “I grew up around athletics. I’ve been a teacher and a coach in Three Village. I’ve been a coach at Ward Melville. I came up through Shoreham athletics. All those places had a booster club and we felt like that’s something Riverhead has lacked. I have three little kids in the district and everyone that has joined the organization bleeds blue.”

When Murphy and Alexander approached Sacks with the idea, he welcomed it with open arms. 

“Our biggest problem has been attracting kids to try sports at an early age,” Sacks said. “I think the booster club can help get the word out to the community. Show them there’s opportunity here and give the parents a place to go for information.”

Alexander has short-term and long-term goals with the club. The first step is to simply get the word out and start fundraising. 

“I know there are clubs that help out certain sports but we want to be there for every sport across the board,” Alexander said. “I want to do youth sports camps eventually. I want to be able to hand out scholarships to our best athletes. I want to have a hall of fame. Everyone here is committed to bringing Riverhead sports back. We all want to help.”

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“Small numbers but a lot more fight,” Riverhead varsity wrestling coach Jake Benedetto said. “This is the toughest group of kids that I’ve had in my nine years here. They’re gritty, they’re tough, and they want to get better. They’re really putting their all into the sport and I can’t ask for more than that as the coach.”

Riverhead dropped its second consecutive league match Friday in a 53-13 defeat to Brentwood, but there were moments that showed the team’s true quality. Wrestling at Brentwood High School, the opposing fans were loud and even unruly at times, but that didn’t stop the Blue Waves from coming up with a few victories. At the beginning of the match, they were actually ahead.

“I told the kids, don’t look at the scoreboard,” Benedetto said. “We’re a team but with the forfeits we just can’t compete as a team. This season is about getting better individually. There’s no pressure to get the team a pin for the points; we just want to prepare the guys we have for the postseason.”

After forfeiting the 101-weight class, Liam MacGray flipped the tables and put some points on the board with a 10-3 victory in the 108-pound division. MacGray slammed his opponent in the opening minutes of the match, earning a takedown, and didn’t look back from there. Brentwood’s lead of 6-0 due to the forfeit was cut down to 6-3.

“We’ve been looking forward to getting MacGray on the varsity level,” Benedetto said. “His brother wrestled here and he’s got wrestling in his blood. Liam’s got big shoes to fill and he’s doing a great job of it. He works hard, he listens and is very coachable. He’s athletic and very savvy out there.”

After losing in the 116-pound weight class, Christopher Ramos stepped onto the mat for the 124-pound bout and simply put on a show. From the opening whistle, Ramos was in attack mode, earning points and controlling the entire match. He jumped out to a 5-0 lead before earning the team’s only pin in the first period, with 19 seconds remaining on the clock. The pin earned the Blue Waves six points and cut the Brentwood lead to 10-9.

“For Christopher Ramos, I know it’s cliche to say but you have to trust the process,” Benedetto said. “Last year in the first match against Mattituck, he’ll never forget it because he lost by one point. He lost because he got tired. We talked about getting tired requires no wrestling ability, that’s on you. And he became such a hard worker after that loss and it’s snowballing now. He put in a strong offseason, wrestling with some clubs, and this is the result.”

After Ramos silenced the crowd, sophomore Kamel Coaxum in the 131-pound division left spectators scratching their heads. The Blue Waves weren’t just competing, they were winning. Coaxum jumped out to a 4-0 lead with a takedown in the first and extended his lead to 7-2 by the end of the second period. He closed out the third period, leading 11-3 and put Riverhead ahead 13-10.

“Coaxum is another guy that came around as a freshman and we saw potential and a ceiling in him.” Benedetto said. “I told him that doing the right things 99 percent of the time is going to make you good but that extra 1 percent is going to make you great. If he continues to grind and put 100 percent into everything he does, he’s going to be a special wrestler. His ceiling is incredibly high. He’s a year away from being a star.”

The Blue Waves didn’t win any other matches the rest of the way and had to forfeit the 170 and 190 weight divisions. 

Perhaps Riverhead’s best wrestler didn’t even step on the mat against Brentwood. Zachary Gevinski, the team’s 101-pound wrestler and only All-League medalist last year, has been put on a weight loss program by Suffolk County. Wrestlers can lose only a small amount of weight week-over-week and Gevinski was over the limit therefore needing to sit out one match. But the sophomore, when in action, is among the league’s, if not the county’s, best. The matches he’s wrestled this year haven’t lasted a minute before the opponent was pinned.

“We feel like Gevinski will be all-county this year,” Benedetto said. “He comes from a lineage of Riverhead wrestlers. He’s been doing it since he could walk. I just feel like it’s his time. He knows what it’s going to take to win. Last year he was small for the weight class and now he’s filled in and will be able to compete with anyone. Every piece that was missing is now connected.”

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“Cherese decided to step away, and I was happy to step into the role,” Ghigliotti said. “It was sad to see her go, but I’ve worked with these girls for the last couple years. It’s nice to see them slowly turn into basketball players. They’ve been learning a lot these past years, and this year, you can tell they’re confident out there. We have a ton of athletes and they’re ready to win.”

After going 1-18 two seasons ago, the Blue Waves improved to 4-13 last season. There was obvious upside from one year to the next but this season has been a complete 180. Through four games, Riverhead has already equaled its win total from last season starting a flawless 4-0, including an impressive 34-30 victory over Longwood last Tuesday at Riverhead High School. The games last year against Longwood weren’t even close, as the Blue Waves lost by double digits both times. Things have really turned around.

“Coach Ghigliotti had been coaching us up for years now and has never backed down from a challenge,” senior guard Logan Pilon said. “He really put things together this year. Practices are always about how to react in certain game situations. We’re keeping up our energy in practice and never slowing down. I think we’re winning because we’re just in better shape and can keep up with anyone.”

The Blue Waves led the entire way against Longwood, controlling possession, keeping up the intensity and draining baskets when they needed to. Pilon led the way in scoring with 10 points. She knocked down two early three-pointers that set the tone for the rest of the game. Fellow longtime varsity teammate Adriana Martinez chipped in 9, and Jordyn Kwasna added 8, including a three point basket that served as the final dagger down the stretch.

“We don’t have those technical basketball players that have been playing their whole lives like other schools,” Ghigliotti said. “What we have is a lot of great athletes, who love competing — who love playing fast and making reactionary plays — and we’re letting them do that.”

Another major piece to this season’s hot start has been adding a forward to play alongside Kyleigh Lennon, who has been the team’s main rebounding threat for the last two years. With one day left before tryouts ended, Brooke Andresen showed up at the gym after transferring from Shoreham-Wading River. She was recently part of the soccer team there that made it to the New York State Final Four. Originally from Riverhead, Andresen wanted to graduate with her childhood friends. The senior has played essentially every minute this season, making an impact from the center position. She scored three points, hauled in seven rebounds and snatched three steals in the win over Longwood.

“Brooke has been a major addition to the squad,” Ghigliotti said. “I didn’t know much about her at first but right away I knew she had game. She’s played varsity basketball with Shoreham, so she’s got experience. She’s a great athlete and gives us some size on the court.”

Defense has been the theme early in the season. The only way to defeat the teams Riverhead had trouble with over the years is to force them into taking bad shots and give up turnovers. The Blue Waves came away with 16 steals against Longwood. Martinez led the team with seven as her instincts put her right into the passing lanes.

“We spent the first three days of practice just doing defensive drills,” Martinez said. “Defense wins games — we all know that. We have the athletes to be able to run the entire game and press and keep the intensity level high. When the other team gets tired, we keep going.”

With all the momentum on their side, Riverhead will travel to Central Islip (0-4) on Thursday to try to surpass last year’s win total.

“We can compete with any team in the league,” Ghigliotti said. “We’re not going to out-basketball anyone. But what we can do is trap, work together, work hard the whole game and make shots when we can. We’re building some confidence and you can see it. Most of these girls have been on varsity for many years. It’s their time now.”

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